Five years ago a small group of Daylesford locals resolved to build a wind farm the community could embrace. As a resurl, Australia's first community-owned wind farm will begin generating energy next winter. Simon Holmes a Court, Chairman of Hepburn Wind said "We've unlocked a whole new class of investor. The community social enterprise investor. We've shown that given the opportunity the community is willing to put in very patient capital into building their own renewable energy infrastructure. The fossil fuel industry is losing its social licence. There's not a lot of support for building more coal plants." The project currently has 1,200 members, the majority of whom are local and the median share holding is about two to three thousand dollars. Hepburn Wind

While counting continues, at midnight election day it appears the Australian Greens have recorded a record result in both the Senate and House of Representatives. The seat of Melbourne has been won by Adam Bandt, a former industrial lawyer who has become the first Greens candidate to be elected to the lower house at a general election. Nationwide, the Greens won 14 per cent of the vote in the Senate and 12 per cent in the House of Representatives, mostly at the expense of Labor. At this stage it is expected that the Greens will have ten members in the Federal Parliament. The Greens

Mornington Peninsula Community Picket

The Ross House Active Melbourne Film Series presents: Peace Brigades International Film Night featuring PBI's work in Indonesia and Napal, including a new documentary from PBI Nepal screening for the first time in Australia. Human rights defenders from this little known conflict talk about the situation in Nepal two years after the elections that brought so much hope; what needs to happen now and the role of the international community. Thursday 26 August at 6.00pm, Ross House, 247-251 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. 4th Floor, Hayden Raysmith Room. Cushion & chair seating. Speakers and discussion afterwards. Drinks and snacks available. Entry fee - By donation. All proceeds go to Peace Brigades International. RSVP at (03) 9016 3769 or info@pbi-australia.org PBI

Forest protection groups last week occupied the roof and storefront of a major Officeworks building in Collingwood. Banners were unfurled over the rooftop billboards, targeting the Reflex Paper brand for its ongoing logging of Victoria’s native forests. “Today we are delivering a letter signed by Australia’s forest conservation groups requesting that Officeworks cease stocking the Reflex brand,” says spokesperson for the action, Lauren Caulfield. “Today’s action is part of a suite of simultaneous national protest actions calling on the Commonwealth Government to intervene in the forestry crisis” “Australian Paper, manufacturer of Reflex, continues to buy logs from highly controversial native forest logging – including logging of old growth forests, water catchments and threatened species habitat. We call on the manufacturers of Reflex to stop making this paper out of our precious native forests.” FoE